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| Submitted by | AngieLake |
| Added | Dec 29 2014 |
| Hits | 981 |
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Description
This postcard of an early aerial view of Stonehenge was found in Exeter yesterday, in the antique place on the quayside. I've trawled through the immense collection of SH pics that Meg P has acquired and can't find a similar one. There is no clue to its age, other than it's copyright of H. M. Office of Works and Stationery and Ord. Survey Offices. It shows the Aubrey Holes quite clearly marked on the NE-SW of the henge.
Posted Comments:
Feanor (2015-01-02)
The year is 1927, and the photographer was an RAF Major - a flight officer who's name escapes me at the moment. This is one in a series of four, I believe.
This was near the close of William Hawley's years-long stretch of work at the site, and we can still see a pile of chalk and the seven larch-wood poles stacked within the Henge on what was the original Byway-12. These poles kept 5 Stones from collapse for 15 years, until Hawley righted them.
The 32 excavated Aubrey Holes have been capped with concrete discs to mark their locations, and these are still on-site today, though now mostly covered with turf.
In the bottom-center, to the left of the Heelstone, we see the Stonehenge Ticket Office, as well as the chalk-scuffed trail leading into the site. The ticket office doubled as a groundsman's tool shed for rakes and mowers. There was also some printed leaflets for visitors to read as they wandered freely among the Stones.
One of the things that marks this old photo as relevant today is that it shows all eight breaks in the Ditch & Bank, created by need or convenience over about 400 years.
The now-softened breaks as they occur today have been periodically pointed out to me as clear proof that the Henge was originally built with these various 'causeways' in it.
I generally trot out this, as well as the Sharpe aerials of 1906, to show that all the breaks but 2 are modern.
Another great and rare find Angie!
This was near the close of William Hawley's years-long stretch of work at the site, and we can still see a pile of chalk and the seven larch-wood poles stacked within the Henge on what was the original Byway-12. These poles kept 5 Stones from collapse for 15 years, until Hawley righted them.
The 32 excavated Aubrey Holes have been capped with concrete discs to mark their locations, and these are still on-site today, though now mostly covered with turf.
In the bottom-center, to the left of the Heelstone, we see the Stonehenge Ticket Office, as well as the chalk-scuffed trail leading into the site. The ticket office doubled as a groundsman's tool shed for rakes and mowers. There was also some printed leaflets for visitors to read as they wandered freely among the Stones.
One of the things that marks this old photo as relevant today is that it shows all eight breaks in the Ditch & Bank, created by need or convenience over about 400 years.
The now-softened breaks as they occur today have been periodically pointed out to me as clear proof that the Henge was originally built with these various 'causeways' in it.
I generally trot out this, as well as the Sharpe aerials of 1906, to show that all the breaks but 2 are modern.
Another great and rare find Angie!
AngieLake (2015-01-02)
Thank you very much Feanor. I knew you'd be a mine of information, but you've excelled yourself here! :-)
hamish (2015-01-03)
I remember it being similar to that on my first visit in the 1950s. We parked by the grass abd walked around the stones, no restrictions. A joy to remember.
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